This simple Chicka Chicka Boom Boom play set is a fun hands-on way to explore the alphabet and retell this popular children’s book! I’ve also included directions for kids to make their own mini play set.

Make Your Own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Play Set

Back when I was a classroom teacher, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was always a class favorite! The kids loved reading it over and over.

The repetition and rhyme of the text encourages the children to say the story right along with you, and it’s a great story to use when practicing letter recognition.

My students and clients have always loved this story. To build off their excitement for the book, I created a super simple play set to go along with it. It’s so easy to make and inspires all kinds of creative play, while also incorporating hands-on learning with letters of the alphabet.

Later on in the post, you’ll find directions for kids or students to make their own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom mini play set using toilet paper rolls!

Paint the paper towel roll brown for the trunk and paint the paper bowl green for the top of the tree.

2. Once the paint has dried, it’s time to glue them together. Make a few snips around the top of the paper towel roll and fold the resulting tabs down.

Place glue on the tabs and glue the paper towel roll to the bottom of the paper bowl. Set it aside to dry.

3. Cut out various leaf shapes from your green construction paper using scissors.

4. Glue them around the outside of the paper bowl. Set it aside to dry.

Once it’s dry you’re ready to play!

You’ll need letters to use with this play set. I painted some wooden letters (similar to these) from my local craft store. You could also use any plastic, magnetic, or felt letters you already have at home. (If you’re able to find lowercase letters to use with the set, that would be best so it goes more closely with the story. I was unable to find lowercase letters, so we used uppercase letters.)

Later I added homemade playdough to the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom play set. It was fun to see how they incorporated the playdough into their creative play.